Many users store personal information (e.g., email, contacts, pictures, videos, and music) on remote servers, and access that data using third party applications that are provided through a web-browser. For example, cloud computing enables application programs and file storage to be provided remotely over the Internet, typically through a web browser. Web browsers are capable of running applications that are application programming interfaces (“API's”) to more robust applications running on remote servers. That is, in cloud computing, a web browser interfaces with and controls an application program that is running on a remote server. Through the web browser, the user can create, edit, save and delete files on the remote server via the remote application program. To store the information, a user must create an account, and to access the personal information, a user must log in. Current methods of account creation and authentication require a plurality of potentially costly search operations to authenticate the user.